This week, we’re featuring ten learnist boards celebrating African-American history month. These boards showcase African Americans who have or are currently impacting American society, including one short board that argues against African American history month, stating that historians and the public should be attentive to African American perspective in all renditions of history every day–that a month should be unnecessary. Regardless, we will take this time to pay tribute to individuals and movements in African-American history that have helped shape the nation.

Cory Booker

Cory Booker Cory Booker is the Mayor of Newark, NJ, an inspirational leader whose mission is to improve the City of Newark as well as the state of New Jersey. In addition to being a Rhodes Scholar, he holds degrees from Stanford University and Yale Law school. Mayor Booker’s recent acceptance of a Twitter challenge to eat on welfare funds brought attention to the plight of the underprivileged families he serves as well as those across the nation.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday

Vivian Kerr made this tribute board to Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. Dr. King became the face of Civil Rights for much of the nation, tying together the work of several organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, the Council of Federated Organizations, and the Council of Racial Equality. Although each of these organizations operated independently, Dr. King was undoubtedly the face and voice of Civil Rights until his assassination in April 1968.

African American Artists in Film

Actor and screenwriter Michelle Shyman created this board because she was “shocked that Kerry Washington was the first black female actor to have a lead in a TV series on 40 years.” Because of this, she honors of several female African American actors who have shaped our entertainment world.

Black History Month

Jim Jacobson’s Learnist board “Black History Month” is filled with tributes and information about this important month. “Every president since 1976 has designated February as Black History Month, a celebration of the achievements of black leaders in all aspects of society, and a reminder of past barriers broken and hurdles we have yet to overcome.”

Black History Month

Author Timothy Sexton’s board on this subject is very short–just one learning–an article written by him. His premise is so important, however, that this board must be one of the top boards in this feature. He “hates Black History month” because it shouldn’t be a month in which to shove every reference to African Americans–the history of African Americans is part of the mainstream history and should be featured equally all year. What an excellent reflection for all Americans.

Stokely Carmichael

Stokely Carmichael was many things to the Civil Rights movement–19 year old freedom rider, chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, and later Prime Minister of the Black Panther Party. He went through many evolutions in his ideas on the best way to attain civil rights, and is an important person to study.

History of Republican Victories for Civil Rights

Conservative Amelia Hamilton created this history of important Republicans who fought for African American rights and equality from the Civil War to present.

African American Cinema

This is a collaboration board, showing the history of African American cinematography. There are clear connections to the history of Africa at the end of the Colonial rule as well. This board is a superior piece of scholarship.

Slavery in the North

Most people think of the South when they think of the issue of slavery. The North, especially the state of Rhode Island, had some of the most insidious ties to the Triangle Trade. This board shows some of those ties.

Protest: Music and Movements that Shaped Society

This board is a mix of several different protest movements that changed and shaped society, including hip-hop, reggae, gospel and spirituals.